


Incomplete

by Yuki_Frill



Category: The Dragon Prince (Cartoon)
Genre: Abandonment, Codependency, Family Feels, Gen, Platonic Soulmates, Separation Anxiety, Sibling Love, but who gets the single braincell, mild S3 spoiler
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-30
Updated: 2019-11-30
Packaged: 2021-02-26 03:40:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,693
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21617005
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yuki_Frill/pseuds/Yuki_Frill
Summary: Soren and Claudia had always been closer than most siblings. The first time they were separated for more than a day was when Soren became a cadet and went to camp. It did not go well for anyone involved.Viren was at his wits' end trying to keep Claudia still during lessons. Meanwhile, the cadets had to deal with more than the usual amount of Soren's bad puns.
Relationships: Claudia & Soren (The Dragon Prince), Claudia & Viren (The Dragon Prince), Soren & Viren (The Dragon Prince)
Comments: 8
Kudos: 69





	Incomplete

**Author's Note:**

> "A platonic soulmate is more than just a best friend, it's a person who, even though you're not romantically involved, you're destined to spend the rest of your life with."
> 
> I just recently stumbled upon this term and you bet I'm fascinated. I never knew such thing existed. So yeah, I had to write about it. With the brodigies' recent development, I feel like it's going to be interesting to write about them.
> 
> Art by the amazing @lmurya on IG (please check them out)

Soren and Claudia had always been closer than most siblings.

When they were younger, you would rarely find one without the other nearby. They had shared a room as toddlers and convincing them to have their own room when they grew older was one of the hardest things Viren and his wife had to do. There was a lot of screaming and sleepless nights but they eventually settled down. Even then, Soren would usually spend most of his time hanging out in Claudia's room until it was time to sleep.

There was never a time when Viren and his wife only needed to care for one sick child. When one was sick, the other would usually get sick, too. If only because they wouldn't leave the other's side and ended up catching the same sickness. 

Viren had always been an only child with busy parents who passed away early so separation was a norm for him. But watching his children, he'd come to a conclusion that separation might not be as easy for them as he thought it would be.

When their Mother left, they took it hard, especially Claudia. Viren would often find both of his children huddled together in one room, not knowing what they talked about or how they felt, but his heart still broke for them. They would rarely leave each other's side. And if you made them, hell would break loose. It took them a while—a year—to be less codependent again.

As they grew up learning different subjects, though, they had spent a great deal of time apart. Still, they were both still within the castle ground, and could see each other whenever they felt mischievous and found the urge to sneak out of their respective tasks for a little adventure.

At night, they would both sit down in the dining table with Viren and go on about their day to each other. Viren would sometimes say something when asked, but mostly it was just his children chattering away and laughing with their mouths full of food. Choking hazard was almost a normal occurrence in their household. On some days, Viren would scold them and demand any remotely decent table manners. But most days, he only silently smiled at their shared stories.

The first time they were separated for more than a day was when Soren became a cadet and went to camp. It did not go well for anyone involved.

Viren was at his wits' end trying to keep Claudia still during lessons, answering her questions of, "What time is it?" or "Is it tomorrow yet?" many, many times. Claudia also made careless mistakes whenever she was anxious. One time, she nearly burnt her hair. The other times, she nearly burnt the library. Viren had since learned to avoid teaching her spells that could burn whenever Soren was out on a mission.

Meanwhile, the cadets had to deal with more than the usual amount of Soren's bad puns. His jokes were always difficult to digest, but they made even lesser sense when he wasn't in the castle, if that was even possible. 

On the day of Soren's scheduled return, Claudia wasted no time rushing to wait by the front gate, biting her black nail and tapping her foot impatiently. Viren was beside her, having been dragged against his will to welcome his son from his first camp. His mind couldn't stop wandering back to those ingredients he left halfway in his study, hoping they didn't catch on fire and burn down the castle the second he turned around.

Claudia was the first one, as always, who noticed the clip-clopping sound of the horses marching back into the castle. In a second, Claudia's anxiety melted away as she grabbed Viren's arm and shook it hard. A huge grin splitting her face.

"Yes, Claudia," Viren sighed, smiling a little. "I see them."

By the time the soldiers were crossing the bridge, Claudia had disappeared from Viren's side and was rushing towards the horse she named Marshmallow regardless of Soren's protests. Marshmallow's rider had noticed Claudia from afar as well and when he saw her running, he swiftly got off his mount. 

Viren smiled and shook his head when his children reunited with a tight hug—Claudia smothering her brother with smooches that would've most certainly made him an object of ridicule among the soldiers later—like they had been separated for years while in reality it had only been barely a week.

Claudia wouldn't stop hovering around Soren to tell him about what had been going on while he was gone, even as the latter smiled to Viren and the father and son shared a short hug of their own. The three of them then walked inside, to their home.

"I have a surprise for you," Soren had told Claudia once they reached the house. 

Claudia gasped in excitement, almost buzzing on her spot as she opened the door and led everyone inside. "What is it?"

Viren picked up Soren's sack for him and went to place it in his room, coming out right in time for a little magic trick Soren did on Claudia, producing a little object from behind her ear as she looked astounded like she had never seen or done a flashier magic. He chuckled and proceeded to set the table.

"It's a rock shaped like unicorn horn!" Soren said in a dramatic tone.

Claudia clasped her hands and admired the rock. "What I've always wanted!"

Viren was pretty sure she'd never said she wanted such thing, but Claudia was always that nice girl who knew what to say to make people feel appreciated as opposed to Soren who just spout everything that crossed his mind. Sometimes it was impossible to tell if she was being truthful or just being nice. That part of her was just like him when he was younger.

"Oh, shit, it's broken! They told me it's magic at camp, I don't know." Soren said, rubbing the back of his neck as he evaluated the rock again. "I feel like I got tricked."

"It's not!" Claudia laughed and grabbed one piece of the rock to shove it into her satchel. "But I'm keeping it anyway. Thanks, Soren. You keep the other one, okay?" She kissed his cheek.

Soren looked like he was about to protest. He wasn't the type who could keep things, but he caved in. "Oh, fine."

Observing his children's behavior had always been endearing to Viren. What they had was what he'd never had in his childhood. He found one in his friendship with Harrow, but it was possibly still nowhere near what his children shared. 

"I got something for you, too, Father!" Soren chirped excitedly, only to realize his sack was nowhere to be found.

Viren let him know that his belongings were in his room and that his souvenir could wait until after dinner. Both Soren and Claudia sat down in the dining table and there they were, the three of them again; Viren watching his children chatter away about the week they spent without each other. 

* * *

Viren watched as Claudia pace around the cave, subconsciously twisting the white bunch of her hair, or combing it roughly with her fingers he could see some strands falling off. She had been a ball of anxiety since she woke up from a nearly two-day sleep after Viren regained consciousness.

The giant, glowing cocoon of what was once his _bug-pal_ seemed to be one of the causes of her relentless anxiety.

Her physical condition went without question—she looked so thin and pale—but her mental condition seemed to not be in the best state either. She constantly went back and forth between about to cry and just in a daze. She would pace around for a couple of minutes then sit down and stare into nothing. Almost like she was forgetting there were other people here and it wasn't just her. Alone.

"Claudia," Viren called, and it seemed to snap her out of the daze. "Are you alright?" he asked, concerned.

She turned to him, eyes unfocused. "Yeah, I'm fine, Dad. Why?"

"Good, good. You just seem," Viren decided not to pick on her lie and took his time to find the right word, "...distraught."

The confrontation seemed to help her get the hang of herself. "Pft, I am _not."_ She waved it off with a half-hearted snort. "I mean, I healed you. Everything is fine now. Why would I be distraught, right?" Before Viren could say anything in response, though, she continued, "Nothing is wrong. I don't even feel pain anywhere. Do you? Are _you_ alright, Dad?" she ended with an awkward laugh. The way she boomerang-ed the question back to him was not a good sign. 

"Yes," Viren decided not to push her. "I am fine."

Claudia gave him a tired smile, "I'm glad."

She didn't look fine. Nothing was fine. She had revived him, sacrificing god-knows-what in the process. Her lifespan? Her sanity? Viren felt so lost.

_What would Soren have done?_

Viren stopped.

It struck him that it had been ages since he had acted like proper Father to his daughter. That night she waltzed into his study just to make sure he was doing fine. That day last year when she was back from a procurement mission with a rare unicorn horn because he continued failing to obtain one. The many instances she had had to help him find solutions. The fateful moment she had brought him back to life.

That night, as they went to sleep, he saw Claudia's trembling shoulders when she thought he was asleep. He carefully got up and approached her, but was too afraid of the confrontation if she realized that he knew. He knew how broken she was.

She was crying silently, holding a piece of rock in a death grip like it was the only thing keeping her going. Like she would slip and fall into an endless chasm if she let go. 

Had he broken her?

Viren was afraid that maybe, just maybe, just like that rock, she would never be complete again.

**Author's Note:**

> So it took me a while—DAYS—to accept the reality that Soren and Claudia have separated (how to divide the single braincell tho). The more I rewatch the earlier seasons, the harder it is to imagine them not being dumbasses together. It makes me tear up thinking of what their next meeting would be like because Claudia seems like she truly hates Soren now and this is not okay.
> 
> Also, many things about Soren and Claudia's childhood were inspired by my real life friend and his younger sister by one year. They're the closest siblings I have ever known personally in my life and I see them in Soren and Claudia a lot :)
> 
> Also, I saw a tweet (or was it an IG comment?) about Viren realizing that he needed Soren to fix Claudia because him alone wasn't able to complete her, and I really liked that idea. Claudia has severe case of separation and abandonment issues. It's what drives her to the edge of insanity. Separating with Soren in S3 really, really messed with her mind as a whole.


End file.
